Missouri
SEC Outdoor Championships
Ward Captures SEC Long Jump Title with Top-Five National Mark
5/12/2017 9:40:00 PM | Track & Field
Three Tigers score and three qualify for finals on day two of SEC Championships
COLUMBIA, S.C. – Freshman Ja'Mari Ward (Cahokia, Ill.) waited for his time to emerge from the rest of the pack, and did so in his final jump, winning the Southeastern Conference Long Jump Title at the SEC Outdoor Track & Field Championships on Friday. Ward captured the conference title with a mark of 8.13m (26-8.25), which ranks second in program history and second in the nation this season.
Ward was one of three scorers on the day for the Tigers, as redshirt junior Sheldon Keence (St. Charles, Mo.) and redshirt sophomore Gabi Jacobs (Bloomington, Ill.) joined Ward with top-eight finishes. In track preliminary races, three Tigers posted qualifying times, giving Mizzou six finals competitors tomorrow in addition to numerous 5000m run competitors. After two days of competition, the men's team sits in sixth place with 28 points, while the women's team is in seventh place with 13 points.
Ward clinched his spot in the finals with a mark of 7.86m (25-9.5) on his third jump. The Tiger freshman was in third place when he took to the runway for his sixth and final jump, where he posted his winning jump of 8.13m (25-8.25). The conference title is the fourth men's SEC title in program history and 13th overall. Each of Mizzou's men's SEC Titles have been won by freshman, as Ward is preceded by Markesh Woodson's 2013 Indoor 60m dash title and now-sophomore Kahmari Montgomery's (Plainfield, Ill.) 2016 Indoor and Outdoor 400m dash titles.
"My coach just said move back and let it rip – and that's what I did," said Ward after the victory. "I really just wanted to get in first place so I can get my team some points. It's a team sport, and that's what I'm here to do – help the team win. It gave me a big confidence boost to come out here and win."
In the 3000m steeplechase, Keence led for a majority of the race and held on over the final two laps to finish fourth and claim five points for Mizzou. Keence finished just under two seconds away from his personal record, crossing the finish line with a time of 8:57.19.
Jacobs finished sixth in the shot put to score three points for Mizzou. Unlike Ward, Jacobs didn't wait long to post her top-mark, doing so in her first throw with a toss of 15.64m (51-3.75). Jacobs' throw ranks eighth in program history and should qualify her for the first round of the NCAA Championships, as it currently ranks 19th in the west region before competition concludes this weekend.
In preliminary heats, Mizzou received qualifying marks from redshirt senior Luca Russo (Kent, England) and junior Karissa Schweizer (Urbandale, Iowa) in the 1500m run, as well as senior Valerie Thames (Milwaukee, Wis.) in the 100m hurdles. Russo finished third in his heat with a time of 3:47.81 to earn the automatic qualifying spot, while Schweizer cruised to a first place finish in her heat, checking in at 4:21.91, four seconds ahead of the runner-up. Thames posted her second finals qualifying mark in as many days, finishing eighth overall in the 100m hurdles with a time of 13.37. Thames will run in both the 100m and 400m hurdles finals tomorrow.
The SEC Championships will conclude tomorrow, with field events slated to begin at 11:00 a.m. ET and track events at 3:15 p.m. ET. A live stream of the meet will be available tomorrow on SEC Network + through the WatchESPN app.
For all the latest on Mizzou Track & Field, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (MIZ_TrackField).
Track Results
100m Dash, Men (Prelims) – 30. Jonathan Holder, 10.96
100m Dash, Women (Prelims) – 27. Maya Cody, 11.74 // 30. Tsai-Anne Joseph, 11.91 PR
400m Dash, Men (Prelims) – 17. Kahmari Montgomery, 46.76 // 21. Jerrad Mason, 47.39 PR // 29. Niager Mathis, 48.86 PR
400m Dash, Women (Prelims) – 19. LaQuisha Jackson, 54.64 // 27. Sydney Wells, 55.94 PR
1500m Run, Men (Prelims) – 8. Luca Russo, 3:47.81Q // 20. Marc Dubrick, 3:52.41 // 24. Zach Cook, 3:54.77 PR // 32. Mark Sheridan, 4:03.93 // 34. Ben Goodman, 4:05.38
1500m Run, Women (Prelims) – 5. Karissa Schweizer, 4:21.94Q // 18. Valeska Halamicek, 4:35.55
110m Hurdles, Women (Prelims) – 8. Valerie Thames, 13.37q
3000m Steeplechase, Men (Final) – 4. Sheldon Keence, 8:57.19 (5 pts)
3000m Steeplechase, Women (Final) – 10. Teylar Adelsberger, 10:49.82
Field Events
Long Jump, Men – 1. Ja'Mari Ward, 8.13m (26-8.25) PR, #2 (10 pts)
Long Jump, Women – 17. Lynnsey Brim, 5.78m (18-11.75)
Shot Put, Women – 6. Gabi Jacobs, 15.64m (51-3.75) PR, #8 (3 pts) // 10. Emily Stauffer, 14.45m (47-5)
Discus, Men – 14. Will Fife, 48.65m (159-7) // 16. Tanner Buschmann, 45.64m (149-9)
Players Mentioned
